Antimicrobial packaging, a variety of controlled release and active packaging, primarily acts by killing the pathogenic microorganisms affecting the product that is packed, thereby increasing its workable or shelf life. The global food industry is presently struggling to provide for a constantly rising global population amid constantly shrinking areas of arable land and uneven rainfalls. This, combined with issues such as quality maintenance, food preservation, and food safety make antimicrobial packaging an apt technology for present times.

Transparency Market Research estimates that the global antimicrobial packaging market will expand at a promising 5.6% CAGR from 2016 to 2024, rising from a valuation of US$7.65 bn in 2015 to US$11.88 bn by 2024.

In this blog post, TMR analysts elucidate some of the key aspects of the global antimicrobial packaging market:

Which area of application of antimicrobial packaging earns the market the most promising returns?

Antimicrobial packaging find applications across industries such as food and beverages, healthcare, and personal care. Of these, the food and beverages industry has remained the largest user of a variety of antimicrobial package types in the past few years. The vast rise in the prevalence of waterborne and foodborne diseases, rising public awareness regarding the scarcity of food, and rising prices of food products have all collectively increased the need and overall public attempts aimed at avoiding the wastage of food.

Consumers, especially belonging to the working class demographic, also tend to stock certain food and beverage varieties, spices, mixes, and condiments. As a result, the need for packaging food products in a way that will extend the shelf life of consumable products is huge. This need is intensified in today's era owing to the busy lives of working individuals and the increased consumption of ready-to-eat packaged food products.

Which is the most popular material used for manufacturing antimicrobial packaging?

A variety of materials are commonly used for manufacturing antimicrobial packaging products, including biopolymers, paperboards, tin, and plastic. Of these, plastics have remained at the forefront for several decades, chiefly owing to its low cost and high flexibility when it comes to molding into desired shape and mixing with a desired antimicrobial agent or other packaging materials. The mechanical, physical, and chemical superiority of plastic over other common packaging material also make it extremely common across a vast range of packaging product varieties.

In 2015, plastics accounted for over 30% of the overall antimicrobial packaging market and is expected to account for a significant share of the market in the next few years as well. However, the rising awareness regarding the severe damage caused due to the non-biodegradable nature of plastic on the environment is bringing about a slow but steady change in this trend. Although plastic is presently the most used material in antimicrobial packaging., it is gradually being replaced with materials such as paper board and glass also as plastic has many toxic properties, which could lead to contamination of the products in the packaging.